Do you suffer from sensitive and reactive skin? Many of us do! As a green beauty expert, I’m always on the look out for clean products that will solve my clients’ skin care woes. Sensitive and reactive skin can be difficult to manage even with natural skin care products. This is because many green and natural brands are not the right fit for sensitive and reactive skin. Natural ingredients, such as certain essential and citrus oils can easily irritate the skin…

If you live in Toronto, perhaps you’ve heard of Graydon Skincare. I was lucky enough to come across the brand as I was researching skincare brands in Ontario and then I got even luckier when I got to meet Graydon herself. I met with Graydon over a cup of warm cocoa-ey drink that she made for me. As I watched her mix beautiful raw ingredients into a delicious concoction, I knew that this woman knew her stuff! It’s clear that the brand she’s created was created with passion for raw beneficial ingredients and knowledge of the benefits of a plant-based diet that is part of Graydon’s lifestyle.

Helena uses nutrient-rich unprocessed and certified organic ingredients in her skincare, which allow for the use of four or five in each product. I love the fact that beautiful skincare can be created from a few beautiful ingredients that are easy for consumers to understand.

The Aurora Balm My first experience with Stark Skincare and its founder, Jess, was at a Green Beauty Pop Up in Toronto. I remember the product I bought that day, a sample size of the Aurora Balm. I knew from the moment I opened the little black jar that I wasn’t looking at a typical skin care product. The Aurora Balm was a rich golden colour with a sweet, earthy and invigorating scent that I couldn’t compare to anything I’d ever smelled. Jess told me that the Aurora Balm is for both cleansing and moisturizing – the minimalist in me …

As a green beauty expert, I often come across a green, local brand that I love in its entirety. Wildcraft is one of those brands that makes my minimalist heart sing. Made in small batches in Toronto, Wildcraft creates skincare with simple ingredients in beautiful glass packaging. The company’s collection is not massive; it’s in fact very carefully created. I like the simplicity of the ingredients and the fact that the line does not overwhelm with a multitude of products. Here are the top three reasons I love this local, green brand.